We arrived in Calgary July 9th and setup for a few days. We have not been to the Calgary Stampede for several years and scheduled this stop so we could experience the excitement, the crowds, corn on the cob, mini donuts, shopping, sore feet and sunburn.
A few weeks earlier Lindsay surprised us by planning to take the Greyhound bus to Calgary and join us for the Stampede. She arrived on Thursday and we took a trip down memory lane.
We all lived in Calgary for the first 5 years of Lindsay’s life. On her 3rd birthday we went for a picnic at Cochrane Ranch. There is a statue of a horse and cowboy to commemorate the working cowboy of the early ranching days. Lindsay wanted to see the horse up close so Grampa, Uncle Dave and his cousin Terry went ahead with her. By the time everyone else arrived Lindsay was sitting on the horse. It's on the side of a hill and 1.7 times life size! Dave and Terry are tall, strong young men but we don’t want to know how they got her up there – safely.
Now, as an adult, Lindsay could not find a way to get up there!
We had a fantastic day at the Stampede. Dave and Danica headed for the kids rides and Lindsay headed for the adult rides that scare the “ “ out of the rest of us. Ralph and I checked out the changes to the grounds and buildings, the shopping and artwork. We met up occasionally and stayed in touch by text. What an easy way for everyone to explore what they wanted to see and not wonder if someone else was looking for them or had missed them altogether.
The Westjet Skyride provides a great view of the grounds and people and downtown.
The rides are exciting.
Next year, can we gather everyone we know and order a burger?
The Calgary Tower dominates the downtown skyline from many directions.
The glass floor truly gives a bird’s eye view of downtown.
My new camera has additional zoom capability in addition to my 18 to 250 lens. I have lots of fun seeing into the distance.
The near view gives a close up of the Stampede grounds and all the people.
In the distance the Calgary airport beckons.
The ski jump at Canada Olympic Park brings back memories from 1988 of skiers flying impossibly free through the air. Unfortunately, the chinook winds blew away the snow almost as fast as they could make it. The schedule was so disrupted that we were able to go over and watch the luge runs while we had tickets for the ski jumping. A bonus for us but not for visitors who could not use their tickets on the revised days.
At the base of the Tower this Lego Mosaic portrays a “Vision of Calgary”. It consists of 45,000 pieces and measures 5 feet by 6 1/2 feet.
During Stampede there are Stampede breakfasts and street parties with lots of free music and entertainment.
This horse is an example of Calgary downtown art.
This daytime view of the Giant Head shows people beside it to provide perspective. In “#36 Jun/14 Six Months and Loving It” I included a nighttime view of the Head.
When we left downtown Dave took us on a tour of the flood damage from last year. There is no dramatic damage visible now but it is mind blowing to see how high the river was up on the bridges and over the river banks.
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